Catheter device

ABSTRACT

A kit for preparing a medical catheter from catheter sections comprises a tubular protective member surrounding a first, proximal one of the catheter sections. The kit further comprises a joint for interconnecting the catheter sections, the joint defining a substantially liquid tight seal at one end of a substantially annular and longitudinally extending cavity provided between the proximal end portion of the first catheter section and an inner wall of the tubular protective member. Following removal of the tubular protective member, one of the catheter sections is exposed and ready for insertion into the urehtra.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an elongated tubular cathetermember for draining bodily fluids, e.g. from the bladder.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Catheters for draining the bladder are increasingly used forintermittent as well as indwelling or permanent catheterisation.Typically catheters are used by patients suffering from urinaryincontinence or by disabled individuals like para- or tetraplegics whomay have no control permitting voluntary urination and for whomcatheterisation may be the way of urinating.

[0003] Catheterisation is thus increasingly becoming a daily-lifeprocedure significantly improving quality of life for a large group ofpatients.

[0004] Typically, catheters are designed for one-time use andaccordingly the costs for producing, packing and sterilising a catheteris an important issue. Existing catheters are made from a single pieceof a continuous catheter tube. Typically, the thickness of the cathetertube is constant throughout its length.

[0005] The length of the catheter enables insertion of a certain lengthinto the urethra until urine starts to flow. At this point, a certainover-length of the catheter should be available. The over-lengthsupports for the user to firmly hold the catheter and to guide the urineto a place of disposal and to withdraw the catheter safely and withoutany risk of the catheter disappearing into the urethra.

[0006] Existing catheters are designed to minimise the risk of sores inthe mucous membrane and to give substantially no sensation of painduring insertion. Accordingly known catheters are typically providedwith a smooth and slippery surface optimised for safe and comfortableinsertion into the urethra. Therefore, It may often be difficult, notleast for the disabled user, to handle the catheter by manipulation ofthe slippery over-length.

[0007] It is often important that the tubular member does not collapseor kink and thereby blocks the passage for the urine to drain throughthe catheter. Existing catheters are therefore typically made from aform stabile and relatively hard but still bendable tube e.g. made fromPVC, PU or PE. Since the hardness of the tubes is selected relativelyhigh with the view to avoid kinking, the catheters may collapse if theyare bend with a too small radius of curvature.

[0008] Accordingly, existing catheters not only have a considerablelength but they are also typically packed in an elongate condition.Therefore the existing catheters may be troublesome to handle and tobring along, not least for the individuals for whom catheterisation is adaily-life procedure, wherein catheterisation takes place several timesa day and wherein the used catheters must be disposed via the garbagecollection.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is an object of preferred embodiments of the present inventionto overcome the above described disadvantages of the known catheters.

[0010] Accordingly, the invention provides a kit for preparing acatheter for draining a human bladder, the kit comprising at least twocatheter sections defining a longitudinally extending passage therein,the sections being arranged in a coextending fashion with a tubularprotective member surrounding a first, proximal one of said cathetersections, the kit further comprising a joint for interconnecting thefirst and the second catheter section, the joint defining asubstantially liquid tight seal at a distal end of a substantiallyannular and longitudinally extending cavity provided between theproximal end portion of the first catheter section and an inner wall ofthe tubular protective member, the tubular protective member beingremovably connected to the joint and/or to the second catheter section,so that, when the tubular protective member is removed, a proximal endportion of the first catheter section is exposed and ready for insertioninto the human urethra.

[0011] In particular, the catheter may be provided so that the sectionsare adapted to be moved between at least two positions with respect toeach other. One position being a position wherein the second sectionsurrounds the first section and the other position being a positionwherein the second section forms an extension for the first section.

[0012] The joint between the first section and the second section may bea telescopical joint providing a liquid tight seal between the sectionswhile the they are moved between the first position and the secondposition. As an example, the first section may be provided with a pistonseal adapted to slide along the inner surface of the second sectionwhile the first section is being pulled out of second section betweenthe first and second position.

[0013] In order to allow the user to insert the first section into abody canal, a locking arrangement of may be provided for locking theposition of the first section with respect to the second section, whenthe sections are in the second position, i.e. when the catheter is in aconfiguration ready for insertion into the body canal.

[0014] In order to allow the user to pull the first catheter section outof the second catheter section without touching the insertable part ofthe catheter, the tubular protective member may preferably be providedto engage the first catheter section in a locking engagement. Thereby,it will be allowed to use the tubular protective member to pull thefirst catheter section out of the second catheter section.

[0015] When the first catheter section has been pulled out of the firstcatheter section, i.e. when the sections are in the second position,i.e. in the position wherein the second catheter section forms anextension for the first catheter section, the tubular protective membershould be allowed to disengage the first catheter section. When thetubular protective member has been removed, the catheter is in a “readyto insert” state.

[0016] In order to use the second catheter section as a sealing envelopeor package for the first catheter section, i.e. for the insertablecatheter section, the distal end of the first catheter section maypreferably be adapted to seal an opening in a distal end of the secondcatheter section while the sections are in the first position and not toseal set opening when the sections are in the second position. When thesections are brought into the second position, i.e. when the catheter is“ready for insertion”, the opening in the distal end of the secondsection may be used for draining the bodily liquids, e.g. urine out ofthe catheter.

[0017] In order to allow the annular cavity to be used e.g. for carryinga frictional reducing substance, e.g. a water or saline solution for ahydrophilic catheter, a hydrogel or similar lubricating substance, thekit may preferably be provided with a sealing engagement between thetubular protective member and the first catheter section when thetubular protective member is engaging the first catheter section. Whenthe tubular protective member is disengaged from the first cathetersection, i.e. after the catheter has reached its “ready for insertionstate”, the the annular cavity is open to the ambient atmosphere thusexposing the insertable tip of the first catheter section and allowingthe user to drain surplus friction reducing substances.

[0018] In one embodiment, the first catheter section is provided with ahydrophillc surface and the friction reducing substance provided in theannular cavity is a liquid swelling medium, e.g. water or a salinesolution.

[0019] The catheter sections could be provided in the form of oblongtubular, hollow sections wherein the passage is defined inside thesections or the sections may comprise an oblong solid kernel with one ormore vanes extending radially from the kernel and along the entirelength thereof. The vanes thus defines a number of draining passages fordraining urine between the kernel and a bodily draining passage, e.g.the urethra. The advantage of using a passage defined between a solidkernel and a wall of the urethra is that the flow of bodily fluid cleansthe urethra and thus reduces the risk of infection compared with atraditional catheter, wherein the bodily fluid is drained inside thecatheter isolated from the body canal.

[0020] A rigidity of substantially the full length of the catheterallows for manipulation of the catheter as ne uniform catheter tube.Thereby, insertion of the proximal end of the catheter may be performedwithout touching the part of the catheter which is going to be insertedinto the urethra. Preferably the catheter is provided with a bendingmoment defined as the product between E-modulus and moment of inertia ofat least 1 MPamm⁴.

[0021] Since the proximal (inserted) end of the catheter, for maleindividuals, must pass prostate in a curved passage, the proximal endportion of the catheter, e.g. the first 10-50 mm., such as 20-40 mm.,such as 25-35 mm, such as the first 30 mm. of the catheter may beprovided with an even lower bending moment defined as the productbetween E-modulus and moment of inertia of less than e.g. 0,6 MPamm⁴ oreven less than 0,3 MPamm⁴. Other parts of the catheter, e.g. a distalend portion where the urine is drained into the lavatory, a bag orsimilar place of disposal, may similarly be provided with a reducedbending moment.

[0022] The cross-sectional flow area or the hydraulic radius defined asthe ratio of the cross-sectional flow area to the wetted perimeter, maybe selected independently upon the length, e.g. on the basis of the sizeof the urethra, which size depends on the individual using the catheter.Each of the sections may have either the same cross-sectional flow areaor hydraulic radius or each section may have individual cross-sectionalflow areas or hydraulic radiuses. However, at least one part of onesection should have a cross-sectional shape and size adapted for thesize of urethra or an artificial urinary canal. Similarly one sectionshould preferably have a length selected on the basis of the length ofthe urethra or the urinary canal. Thereby it may be achieved that onlyone section is to be inserted and therefore no transition betweensections needs to be inserted. However, especially for male individualswhere urethra is particularly long, a catheter having an inserted lengthdivided in two sections or more may be provided. in this specific caseit will be appropriate to provide a transition between the sectionswhich at least on the outer surface of the catheter have substantiallyno recess or sharp edge.

[0023] At least one of the catheter sections may be provided in a lengthin the range of 50-90 mm, such as in the range of 55-85 mm, such as inthe range of 60-80 mm, such as with a length in the size of 70 mm, whichlength has been found to be a suitable insertable length for most femaleindividuals. For male individuals, catheter sections may be provided ina length in the range of 180-250 mm, such as in the range of 190-240 mm,such as in the range of 200-230 mm such as in the size of 220 mm. Forthe male individuals it may further be preferred to provide at least apart of the inserted end of the catheter in a material or in dimensionsso that a the tube becomes very flexible, without kinking. This willease the passage of the catheter past prostate.

[0024] The outer cross-sectional shape of at least one of the sectionsshould preferably be substantially circular with a cross-sectional areain the range of 0,5 mm² -30 mm².

[0025] Even more preferred is to provide at least one of the sectionswith a hydraulic radius (“cross-sectional area”/“circumferentiallength”) in the size of 0,2-1,5 mm. Alternatively, at least one of thesections should have a cross-sectional shape matching the shape ofurethra or an artificial urinary canal, still with a cross-sectionalarea in the range of 0,5 mm² -30 mm². or a hydraulic radius in the sizeof 0,2-1,5 mm. However, the other of the sections does not necessarilyhave to have the same cross-sectional shape, nor the same hydraulicradius. The wall thickness of the catheter should preferably be in therange between 0,5-1,5 mm.

[0026] The catheter or at least a part of the catheter could be madefrom a thermoplastic elatomeric material, other thermoplastic materials,curable elastomeric materials, polyamide resins or elastomers or anymixture thereof, i.e. the group may comprise materials like, PVC, PU,PE, latex, and/or Kraton™.

[0027] In one embodiment, the catheter may be divided in separatecatheter sections. Each catheter section has at least one end providedwith means for connecting the section with another section correspondingto an adjacent part of the catheter. As an example the catheter may bedivided into two tubular connectable pieces connected by connectingmeans.

[0028] Preferably, the connecting means are provided with a rigidityallowing for manipulation of at least one of the catheter sections bymanipulation of one of the other catheter sections. At least theconnection between each of the pieces should provide sufficient rigidityto allow one proximal section to be inserted into the urethra bymanipulation of one of the other sections. Therefore, the connection ispreferably provided so that at least the part of the catheter extendingthe connection zone, has a bending moment defined as the product betweenE-modulus and moment of inertia of at least 0,6 MPamm⁴ such as at least1 MPamm⁴. In order not to have the individual sections falling apartduring use, the connection should preferably be adapted to take up anaxial force of at least 0,5 Newton or at least to take up an axial forcelarger than the axial force required for withdrawal of the catheter fromthe urethra or artificial urinary canal.

[0029] The pieces may be connected e.g. telescopically or via a hingeenabling one of two sections to rotate in relation to the other of thetwo sections. It is appreciated that the sections are in fixedengagement so that they do not disconnect during use of the catheter,while urine is drained through the catheter. However, since the urine isalways drained in one direction, the connection does not necessarilyhave to be liquid-tight. As an example a telescopic connection may beestablished by inserting the section adapted for insertion into urethrainto a distal section. The flow direction of the urine will at leastsubstantially prevent the connection from leaking even though theconnection as such is not completely liquid tight. However, a completelysealed connection may provide an even safer catheter with a reduced riskof contaminating hands etc.

[0030] In one embodiment wherein the two catheter sections are arrangedin a telescopic fashion, the first catheter section may be intended forinsertion into the human urethra, whereas the second catheter section isusually intended for forming a prolongation of the catheter outside thehuman urethra during use of the catheter. In use, that is in the secondmutual configuration of the two catheter sections, the second cathetersection preferably coextends with the first catheter section away from adistal end of the first catheter section. In the first mutualconfiguration, which usually is the configuration in which thetelescopic kit is stored and transported, at least a portion of thefirst catheter section may be surrounded by the second catheter section.In the first mutual configuration, the tubular protective member isprovided between an outer surface of the first catheter section and aninner wall of the second catheter section. The dimensions of the tubularprotective member and the catheter sections may be such that, in thesecond mutual configuration, a substantially annular and longitudinallyextending cavity is formed between an outer surface of the firstcatheter section and an inner wall of the second catheter section. Thefirst catheter section may have a hydrophilic surface, and a liquidswelling medium may be provided in the annular cavity, so as to swellthe hydrophilic surface of the first catheter section, whereby the firstcatheter section being encapsulated in the tightly sealed annular cavitymay be preserved in its wet, swelled condition for a period of 1-5years, such as 3-5 years, or more. A tight sealing of the annular cavityis desired for all kinds of catheter surfaces, including hydrophilic andhydrophobic catheter surfaces, in order to prevent contamination toenter into the cavity. Thus, in the first mutual condition, thetelescopical joint may serve to define a liquid and contamination tightseal between the second catheter section and an ambient atmosphere.

[0031] A distal end of the second catheter section is preferablyprovided with a tight seal which may be tight to both liquids andcontamination, and which may be removable, so that when a distal end ofthe second catheter section is inserted into, e.g., a urine collectionbag, a passage for urine is formed at the location from which the sealhas been removed. The tubular protective member is preferably removablewhen the first and second catheter sections are in the second mutualposition, so that, when the tubular protective member is removed, theproximal end portion of the first catheter section is exposed and readyfor insertion into the human urethra. The distal end of the secondcatheter section may as an alternative be provided into one piece with acollection bag. As an example, the second catheter section may beprovided with a plastic welding-flange for adhesively bonding a plasticcollection bag to the second catheter section.

[0032] According to another preferred embodiment, the catheter maycomprise at least two sections not being separated but being divided bya bendable zone. The bendable zone could e.g. be a bellow shaped sectionor the zone could be an area wherein the thickness of the tubularmaterial is smaller and wherein the zone accordingly has a lower bendingmoment. The zone could e.g. be provided in a more resilient or flexiblematerial allowing for bending the catheter tube without kinking ordamaging the tube.

[0033] In general, the problems of introducing a catheter into urethradepend not only of the size of the introduced part of the catheter butalso on the slipperiness of the introduced part. The catheter section orat least a part of the catheter section or sections adapted forinsertion into urethra or an artificial urinary canal may provide asurface slipperiness for easy and safe insertion. However, it has beenfound that lubricated or slippery surfaces, are difficult to handle, notleast for a user having reduced dexterity. It is therefore an object ofthe present invention to provide a catheter with an inserted part beingtreated so as to provide a slippery is surface and another part notbeing treated, so as to provide a surface which may easily be handled.The division of the catheter into one part being treated and one partnot being treated may preferably follow the aforementioned division ofthe catheter with the purpose of making the catheter collapsible orseparable. According to an alternative embodiment, the parts may beprovided in the form of one part being smooth and another part beingprovided with a rough surface.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of the sectionsis provided with gripping means easing a firm grip in the catheter. Notleast for the disabled user, the gripping means will improve the valueof the catheter considerably. Gripping means may be provided as aradially extending flange or flanges or as a zone having a large outercross sectional diameter. The catheter, or at least one of the cathetersections, may also be provided with means for engaging an externalhandle. As an example, one of the tubular catheter tubes may be providedwith a ring-shaped bulge for attaching a handle. The ring-shaped bulgecould be provided as a short tubular piece of plastic with a largerradial size than the catheter, the catheter being inserted and gluedinto the short piece of plastic.

[0035] A section provided with a hydrophilic surface treated with aliquid swelling medium may provide an excellent lubrication for theinsertion and also provide compatibility with the body tissue. It istherefore a further preferred embodiment of the invention to provide atleast one of the sections with a hydrophilic surface layer.

[0036] One of the catheter sections could be used as a sterile packagefor the other sections, e.g. by arranging the sections in a telescopicmanner inside one section, closing and sealing that section in bothends, e.g. by a peelable and optionally a metallised foil e.g. made froma thermoplastic elatomeric material, other thermoplastic materials,curable elastomeric materials, polyamide resins or elastomers or anymixture thereof, i.e. the group may comprise materials like, PVC, PU,PE, latex, and/or Kraton™, thereby allowing for sterilising the assemblyby radiation.

[0037] The liquid swelling medium for the hydrophilic surface may beprovided in the package for initiation of the low friction characteralready when the catheter is being packed. The liquid swelling mediummay simply be a saline solution, a bactericidal solution capable ofswelling the hydrophilic surface and capable of keeping the surface in asterile condition or it may be pure water. The swelling may also beinitiated already before packaging of the catheter, the catheter thenbeing packed in a substantially gas impermeable package for conservationof the moistened surface. Furthermore, the liquid swelling medium may beprovided in a capsule or container packed together with the catheter forswelling of the hydrophilic material immediately prior to the insertion.

[0038] With the catheter there may be provided a supporting member forbeing introduced into a first conduit of the catheter, the conduit beingfor draining urine, the supporting member being provided with an outercross-sectional shape and radial size substantially equal to the innercross-sectional shape and size of the elongate tube so as to supportsaid tube against collapsing during bending of the tube, the supportingmember having a flexibility allowing curling.

[0039] The flexible elongated tube could have the shape of a regularcatheter of the known kind. Preferably, the tube or at least a part ofthe tube is made from a thermoplastic elatomeric material, otherthermoplastic materials, curable elastomeric materials, polyamide resinsor elastomers or any mixture thereof, i.e. the group may comprisematerials like, PVC, PU, PE, latex, and/or Kraton™.

[0040] The supporting member supports the catheter to avoid collapsingwhen the catheter is bend, e.g. for the purpose of packing the catheterin user friendly short packages. The supporting member may be eithersolid or the supporting member may be hollow and thus defining a secondconduit. The solid supporting member should be adapted for removal priorto draining of the bladder, whereas a hollow supporting member mayremain inside the tube while the bladder is emptied through the firstand second conduit.

[0041] The supporting member may as an example be glued inside theelongated tube or the supporting member may even be moulded into thetube during the process of producing the tube. The supporting member mayeven be completely integrated in the elongated tube. The supportingmember could be made from any suitable material such as e.g. plastic,steel, aluminium, a thermoplastic elatomeric material, otherthermoplastic materials, curable elastomeric materials, polyamide resinsor elastomers or any mixture thereof. As an example, the supportingmember may be a helical spring provided in a length in the range of20-60 mm, such as in the range of 30-50 mm., such as in the range of35-45 mm. The spring should be positioned inside the elongated tube inthe zone where it is desired to bend the catheter, e.g. midway along thelongitudinal axis of the elongated tube. During use, the urine isdrained through the first conduit of the elongated tube and past thesupporting member through the second conduit.

[0042] In one embodiment, the supporting member is provided in a lengthin the range of 60-120 mm, such as in the range of 70-110 mm., such asin the range of 80-100 mm. and the supporting member may even beextending out of the discharge end of the elongated tube. This willenable the user to remove the supporting member during the process ofinserting the catheter into urethra.

[0043] The supporting member may be provided with gripping means foreasing withdrawal of the supporting member from the discharge end duringinsertion of the catheter.

[0044] A method for producing a urinary catheter comprising a proximalinsertion section defining an inner elongated passage for urine, and atleast one opening near a proximal end of the proximal insertion sectionfor allowing urine to pass from the human bladder into the innerelongated passage, may comprise the steps of:

[0045] providing a mould, defining the shape of at least the proximalinsertion section,

[0046] forming the proximal insertion section by injection moulding,

[0047] removing the proximal insertion section from the mould.

[0048] Whereas longitudinally extending catheters made from plasticsmaterials have hitherto been manufactured by a relatively costly processinvolving extruding the catheter body, forming a rounded tip thereof byheat treatment, cutting transversely extending passages for urine nearthe tip of the catheter by means of a cutting tool, and rounding edgesof the transversely extending passages by heat treatment, the methodaccording to the fourth aspect of the invention has the advantage thatit allows for a more efficient and more accurate controllablemanufacturing process with less waste of material and fewer productionsteps.

[0049] The catheter may further comprise a connector part for connectingthe proximal insertion section to a further catheter section or to aurinary collection bag. The connector part may be made from the samematerial as the proximal insertion section, whereby, at the step offorming the proximal insertion section, the proximal insertion sectionand the connector part may be formed substantially simultaneously.Alternatively, the connector part may be made from a material differentfrom the material of the proximal insertion section, whereby theconnector part and the proximal insertion section are formed in distinctprocess steps, for example in a multi-component injection mouldingprocess.

Brief description of the drawings

[0050] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described indetails with reference to the drawing in which:

[0051]FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the kit, wherein one catheter partis inserted for storage into another of the catheter parts thussubstituting a catheter package,

[0052]FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1, wherein the insertedcatheter part is partially withdrawn from one end of the package,

[0053]FIG. 3 shows the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the insertedcatheter part is completely withdrawn from the package and then attachedto the other end of the package, the package thus functions as a handlefor manipulation of the catheter,

[0054] FIGS. 4-7 illustrate an embodiment of a kit according to theinvention, wherein the catheter sections are arranged in a telescopicfashion,

[0055] FIGS. 8-11 show a further embodiment, wherein the cathetersections are arranged in a telescopic fashion,

[0056]FIGS. 12 and 13 show yet a further embodiment, wherein thecatheter sections are arranged in a coextending fashion.

Detailed description of the drawings

[0057]FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the catheter kit according to thepresent invention, wherein the first catheter section, not shown in FIG.1, is sterilely packed inside the second catheter section 21, the secondcatheter section being sealed in both ends with sealing caps or foils22,23.

[0058] Preferably the first section is coated with a hydrophiliccoating, providing a low friction surface of the first catheter sectionwhen treated with a liquid swelling medium. The coating could be of thekind which sustains being activated with the liquid swelling medium forlonger time, e.g. for several month. Thereby the liquid swelling mediumcould be provided in the catheter package from the time of packaging soas to provide a ready-to-use catheter. Hydrophilic coatings are knownper se, see e.g. the published patent applications WO 98/58988, WO98/58989, WO 98/58990 or EP 0570370. For this purpose, the sealing capsor foils should preferably be provided in a gas impermeable material forconservation of the humidity and thus the lubricity of the catheter forlonger time, e.g. for several month. As an example, the second cathetersection and/or the sealing caps may be made from a thermoplasticelatomeric material, other thermoplastic materials, curable elastomericmaterials, polyamide resins or elastomers or any mixture thereof, i.e.the group may comprise materials like, PVC, PU, PE, latex, and/orKraton™. The caps may be provided with a thickness allowing forsufficient gas impermeability. As an alternative, they may be made frommetallised foils.

[0059] As seen in FIG. 2, the first catheter section is easily withdrawnfrom the second catheter section by pulling the cap or foil 23 which capor foil engages the distal end of the first catheter section.

[0060]FIG. 3 shows the assembled catheter after the first cathetersection has been attached to the second catheter section. The foil orcap 23 can either be removed completely as shown in FIG. 9 or can atleast be penetrated by the connecting means 24 of the second cathetersection.

[0061] FIGS. 4-7 illustrate an embodiment of a catheter kit wherein thefirst and second sections 42, 44 are telescopically interconnected. Atubular protective member 46 surrounds a portion of the first cathetersection 42 and forms a substantially annular cavity 48 around the firstcatheter section. in the second mutual configuration, shown in FIG. 16,in which the kit is intended to be stored and shipped, the firstcatheter section 42 and the tubular protective member 46 are inserted asfar as possible into the second catheter section 44. A hydrophilicswelling medium, such as water, may be provided in the cavity 48, sothat a hydrophilic surface coating optionally provided at the surface ofthe first catheter section 48 is stored in its swelled, i.e. wetcondition. A surplus of hydrophilic swelling medium may be present inthe cavity 48 in order to prevent the hydrophilic surface coating fromdrying out. A liquid-tight seal 50 is provided at the distal end of thefirst catheter section 42. A liquid-tight closing member 52 closes thedistal end of the second catheter section 44. In one embodiment, theclosing member 52 is removable so that a passage is provided between thesecond catheter section 44 and a urine collection bag, or another devicefor accumulating or conveying urine, mounted to the distal end of thesection catheter section 44, when the closing member 52 is removed. Inanother embodiment, the closing member 52 is an integrated part of thesecond catheter section 44, in which case a wall 53 of the closingmember 52 may be perforated in order to provide a passage between thesecond catheter section 44 and a urine collection bag, or other devicefor accumulating or conveying urine, mounted to the distal end of thesection catheter section 44. In yet another embodiment, the closingmember 52 may be substituted by a perforated end wall, e.g. a wall madefrom a central plate connected to the outer wall of the second cathetersection 44 at its distal end by means of radially extending ribs orspokes. In such an embodiment, the first catheter section 42 and theseal 50 may be formed as a single, integrated piece.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, an outer wall of the second catheter section44 forms a handle, the tubular protective member 46 being arranged sothat it extends out of the handle at the proximal end thereof. Thetubular protective member 46 may form a flange at its proximal end, soas to facilitate a user's extraction of the first catheter section 42and the tubular protective member 46 out of the handle/second cathetersection 44. When extracted, the tubular protective member 46 and thusthe first catheter section 42 surrounded thereby coextend with thehandle or second catheter section 44, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Aprotrusion 47 at the distal end of the tubular protective member 46releasably secures the tubular protective member 46 to the seal 50, seeFIGS. 4, 6 and 7. The seal 50 may be designed so that it engages theproximal end portion of the second catheter section 44 by a snap actiononce the seal 50 and the tubular protective member 46 have reached thefully extracted position shown in FIG. 6. in the example shown in FIG.4, the seal 50 has a groove 51 which, in the extracted position shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 engages a flange 45 at the proximal end of the secondcatheter section 44. Immediately prior to use of the catheter, thetubular protective member 46 is removed, so that the first cathetersection 42 is exposed, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0063] FIGS. 8-11 illustrate a further embodiment of a catheter kit,wherein the catheter sections are arranged in a telescopic fashion. Asshown in the exploded view in FIG. 11, the kit comprises the followingparts: a first catheter section 62, a second catheter section 64 withone or more inner flange portions 65, a guide member 66 with protrusions67, a joint 69 with a collar portion 70 and slits 71 for the guidemember 66, as well as a distal closure member 72 and a proximal closuremember 73. The kit is stored and transported in the configuration shownin FIG. 8, wherein the second catheter section surrounds the firstcatheter section 62 and the guide member 66. Prior to use of thecatheter, the distal closure member 72 is removed, and the guide member66 is extracted, as shown in FIG. 9. The guide member 66 is extracted asfar as possible, i.e. until the protrusions 67, due to their elasticity,engage respective grooves (not shown) provided in the slits 71 of thejoint 69, see FIG. 11. The joint 69 is secured from sliding out of thesecond catheter section 64 by means of the inner flange portions 65 ofthe second catheter section 64. The proximal closure member 73 is alsoremoved. Next, the guide member 66 is pushed back into the secondcatheter section 64. As the guide member engages the joint which isfirmly connected to the distal end of the first catheter section, thejoint 69 and the first catheter section 62 are pushed out of the distalend of the second catheter section 64 as the guide member 66 is pushedin the second catheter section 62. When the collar portion 70 of thejoint 69 engages an inner flange or protrusion provided at the proximalend of the second catheter section 64, the kit is ready for use, and thefirst catheter section 62 may be introduced into the urethra of a human.A urine collection bag or other means for accumulating or conveyingurine may be mounted to the proximal end of the second catheter section64.

[0064] The catheter shown in FIG. 12 has a first section 81 forming theproximal, insertable end of the catheter, and a second, proximal section82 forming a handle part of the catheter. The first and second sectionsmay have different shapes corresponding to their intended use. The firstsection is oblong and has an inlet opening 83 for draining urine fromthe bladder into an internal conduit extending through both part of thecatheter, and the first section is slim when compared to the secondpart. The first section is covered by a tubular protective member 84which is detachably attached to the outer surface of the catheter (inFIG. 1, the tubular protective member is removed and the catheter isready for insertion into the urinary tract). The disclosed tubularprotective member is cylindrical, and has an outward flange 85supporting removal of the sleeve from the catheter. An internal conduitconnects the inlet opening with the outlet opening 86 opposite the inletopening in the second part. The outlet opening is covered by a foil 87which is attached in a manner which allows pealing. A ribbed portion 8gives the user a tactile indication of the transition between the firstand the second section. The first and second sections are joined in ajoint 89, e.g. by gluing or welding. Alternatively, the sections may bemade in one piece.

[0065]FIG. 13 shows the catheter of FIG. 12, wherein the tubularprotective member 4 is attached to the catheter. The second section 2 isnot covered by the tubular protective member. The tubular protectivemember fastens to the second part via an inwardly extending flange (notshown) engaging the ribbed portion 8.

1. A kit for preparing a catheter for draining a human bladder, the kitcomprising at least two catheter sections defining a longitudinallyextending passage therein, the sections being arranged in a coextendingfashion with a tubular protective member surrounding a first, proximalone of said catheter sections, the kit further comprising a joint forinterconnecting the first and the second catheter section, the jointdefining a substantially liquid tight seal at a distal end of asubstantially annular and longitudinally extending cavity providedbetween the proximal end portion of the first catheter section and aninner wall of the tubular protective member, the tubular protectivemember being removably connected to the joint and/or to the secondcatheter section, so that, when the tubular protective member isremoved, a proximal end portion of the first catheter section is exposedand ready for insertion into the human urethra.
 2. A kit according toclaim 1, wherein the sections are adapted to be moved between at leasttwo positions with respect to each other, and wherein the secondsection, in a first position with respect to the first section,surrounds the first section and in a second position with respect to thefirst section, forms an extension for the first section.
 3. A kitaccording to claim 2, wherein the joint is a telescopical jointproviding a liquid tight seal between the first catheter section and thesecond catheter section while the sections are moved between the firstposition and the second position.
 4. A kit according to claim 2, whereinthe first and second catheter section is provided with co-operatinglocking means for locking the position of the first section with respectto the second section, when the sections are in the second position withrespect to each other.
 5. A kit according to claim 3, wherein, when thetubular protective member has been removed, the telescopical jointdefines a liquid tight seal between the second catheter section and anambient atmosphere.
 6. A kit according to claim 1, wherein a distal endof the second catheter section is provided with a removable liquid-tightseal.
 7. A kit according to claim 2, wherein the tubular protectivemember is engaging the first catheter section so as to allow the firstcatheter section to be moved between the first and second position viathe tubular protective member.
 8. A kit according to claim 2, whereinthe tubular protective member is adapted to be disengaged from the firstcatheter section, when the first catheter section reaches the secondposition.
 9. A kit according to claim 2, wherein a distal end of thefirst catheter section seals an opening in a distal end of the secondcatheter section while the first catheter section is in the firstposition.
 10. A kit according to claim 9, wherein annular cavity in oneend is sealed by a sealingly engagement between the tubular protectivemember and the first catheter section when the tubular protective memberis engaging the first catheter section.
 11. A Kit according to claim 9,wherein the annular cavity is open to the ambient atmosphere when thetubular member disengages the first catheter section.
 12. A kitaccording to claim 1, wherein the catheter has a hydrophilic surface,and wherein a liquid swelling medium is provided in the annular cavity.